Elder Andrew C. Baker - Arizona Phoenix Mission and Navajo New Mexico

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Staying in Flagstaff

Newly formed river at a park in Flagstaff

Gotta love Monsoon Season

Elder Andrew Baker is staying in Flagstaff for at least 6 more weeks.

Address is still:

315 W Phoenix Ave.

Apt. #4

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

I also wanted to let everyone know that the church policy regarding emails to missionaries has changed. Family, friends, previous priesthood leaders, etc. can Email missionaries now. Here is the official statement from the Arizona Phoenix mission president:

UPDATE: As of March 2013, the Missionary Department has amended its email policy allowing expanded email privileges for missionaries. They can now email friends, priesthood leaders and recent converts - the latter with permission from the mission president.

So if you would like to email Andrew you can reach him at this address:

baker.andrew@myldsmail.com

Elder Baker is also allowed to facebook, skype, and text missionary lessons or spiritual lessons with others.

Following is what Elder Baker's mission president has posted:

As of July 31, 2013, the Arizona Phoenix Mission is an online-proselyting mission, authorized to use mormon.org; Facebook (including chat); email; Skype; blogs; and text messaging to help the missionaries accomplish their purpose.

It is so nice that we can communicate with our missionaries through these means. We enjoy reading Elder Andrew Baker's Facebook posts and church videos he shares. We can also post to his page or message him our testimonies, things we have learned in Church, spiritual lessons we have learned, etc. We just need to keep it missionary minded.

Last Sunday we skyped with Elder Baker during a Youth Fireside we had at our home. The youth were teaching each other principles from the "Plan of Salvation" section in the book Preach My Gospel. After teaching each other we skyped with Elder Baker to discuss with him our success or questions on how to teach a certain principle. It worked out really well and we all learned a lot about what it is like to be a missionary. It was a great success.

Not all missions are allowed these online privileges yet, but all will be in the future.

Found a Cool Mustache

A Huge dog we walk for a lady in Flagstaff

Elder Baker hooked up to a sleep test machine.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Flagstaff Monsoon Season - Sept 2013

Hi Everyone,

Reminder of Elder Andrew Baker's address:

315 W. Phoenix Ave.

Apt. #4

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Here is a little section of one of Elder Andrew Baker's emails to the family describing the monsoon weather in Flagstaff:

Wow.. the weather here is crazy! It's cold and rainy all day! It's been a nonstop rainstorm the past couple of days... I imaging we'll have to be doing some more sandbags soon. Flagstaff has had TONS of flooding this year! It's been the wettest year in the history of Flagstaff!! That'll probably mean lots of snow in the winter!!

"The weather here in Flagstaff reminds me a LOT of my first semester at Rexburg. It's rainy, and cold all day, and at night it gets wayyy cold! It's been raining here for the past few days. Just nonstop rain. Every street is flooded, and lots of houses are flooded too. It's crazy. It's fun though. Way better than 110 degree Phoenix!! Still though, the rain brings back lots of memories of college, and being with friends.. Sometimes I really miss those days! I miss having unlimited freedom! Oh well, patience builds character!

On a more serious note, here is a part of a recent email where Andrew is discussing Maturity:

I guess on that same thought, I've been thinking a lot about maturity. I think it's kind of a skewed concept in the church. I think a lot of members of the church view maturity as someone who is stoic, and doesn't talk much.. someone who doesn't laugh, or joke around. Almost like maturity means not having a personality.. Well, anyways.. I was thinking about it, so I decided to look up "maturity" in the dictionary.. It said something like this, "progressing, progressed to a desired point."
So I thought, "where do I want to be?" and "What is my desired point." And the more I thought, I realized that I want to be like God.. eventually become a creator of my own.. President Grant said that "God is jovial. He laughs, He smiles, He is pleasant, He is a beautiful, fun person." So in reality, maturing isn't necessarily losing your personality, but growing your personality. We all have different gifts, and talents. We have different inherited personalities, and god-given personalities. We all go through different "fires", forming us into a unique person... well, that's just a long thought! hahaha

Here are the latest pictures of Elder Andrew Baker!!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Moved to Different Apartment in Flagstaff

Here is Elder Andrew Baker's

NEW ADDRESS

Elder Andrew Baker

315 W. Phoenix Ave.

Apt. 4

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Andrew is staying in an apartment with 3 other missionaries and the two sister missionaries moved into his old apartment.

Following is a quote from Andrew's latest email:

"Wow! The weather here is crazy! It's mostly in the 60's all day. It gets warm up to about noon, then the monsoons roll in and it dumps rain for hours. The streets get flooded, there's houses flooded out... trees are getting knocked down. There's huge hail here. When the streets flood, cars can't even get through. Huge traffic jams. Garbage and branches are floating down the road. It's awesome! I love this weather! Most of the work we did last week was service. We helped fill, and stack a TON of sandbags. It was crazy! Sounds a lot nicer than hot Montana! ;) I love the weather here. However, they said that this is a very very strange monsoon season. They've never seen so much flooding before! So far, it's the 3rd wettest year Flagstaff has ever had. And the season isn't over for a couple more weeks. Whewww..."

"Speaking of the temple, I was reading a little while ago in Luke. I think chapter 3. In verse 43-45, Mary and Joseph lost Jesus. Imagine how you'd feel if you lost your kid. And not only your kid, but the savior of the world. I'm pretty sure Mary felt like she had just ruined salvation to everyone. I'm sure she was panicked, anxious, frantic, angry, frustrated, and devastated. She looked for him for at least 3 days. Then, in verse 46, after searching forever, trying to fix their problems on their own, they decided to go to the temple. I'm not sure why they decided to go to the temple, but I'd guess that they had basically given up on searching for Jesus. I'd guess that they were there to talk to god. They went to the place where they knew they could feel peace. And at the temple, they found Jesus, and were so amazed. I think each of us needs to go to the temple, or at least a place of sanctuary more often than we do. Maybe it's the woods, or the bedroom in prayer. We need to go to some place where it's quiet, where we can let out our frustrations to god, and let him help us. It's in those quiet places where we get our answers to our problems. Where we receive revelation."